The warmer weather means yard sales are picking up. There were three listed this week which is a increase from previous ones.
20120129
Coyote Scat
Over the last two weeks we have noticed coyote droppings in our yard. This has never happened before and we are afraid that our cats or dog might get into trouble if we let them out at night. Our neighbor Larry loaned us a coyote trap and we have purchased some cheap cat food so tonight we are going to try and catch a coyote. I'm guessing we are going to catch a neighbors cat.
Bottling Day
We had some of our snow bird neighbors come over and help us bottle up our latest wine. This was a kit based Beaujolais. I didn't really taste it besides what ended up in my mouth during siphoning.
Favorite Coffee Roast
My favorite coffee roast so far is the Guatemalan bean we bought from Sweet Maria's. The other four we have tried have been okay, but did not stand out .
Excited for Strawberries
This winter has been relatively wet for us. Our lettuces are coming nicely, the creosote that grows all around us is bright green (last year it was brown), and our strawberries look fantastic. I see lot's of new growth on the strawberries and I'm guessing in the next two months they will be fruiting.
Swan Lake
Everyone is talking about the swan hanging out by the park. We've not seen one around before and it is alone. It's incredible to see a bird this big flying around.
20120124
VW Beetle Key Fob
Looks like our first key fob for our VW Beetle has died. I tried replacing the batteries only to discover the original cells still had plenty of juice and it was the fob itself that failed. I bought a new one off e-bay for $25 with a matching FCC ID.
Farmland?
This once empty lot has seen a significant amount of tractor tilling action this week. I'm not sure what they plan on growing.
Cashew Cream
Next week will be the last week that we receive raw milk that we use primarily for cheeses and a little bit of cooking. This means we switch back to nut milks and creams. Since we have a large amount of cashews on hand I went back to making cashew cream to eat with berries topped with a bit of shaved raw cacao. The recipe is simple.
Cashew Cream
- 1 c cashews
- soak overnight in fridge
- rinse nuts
- place in blender
- add 1 T honey
- add pinch of salt
- bring water level to half the height of the nuts
- run blender until smooth
- refrigerate cream
Chicken and Waffles
We have been searching for a source to buy whole chickens raised in a resonable environment (eg. not factory farmed). A friend turned us onto Keller's Farm store in Albuquerque which has proven to be a valuable resource. Keller's carries a variety of wild game, grass fed beef and even organic certified. This chicken was used from beginning to end. Sesame helps with the parts we don't want to eat and once shaved down the carcass become several meals worth of delicious chicken soup.
Note that waffle maker. Oddly enough I was testing out the cast iron stove top waffle maker the same time Wendy was roasting the bird. We did not actually eat chicken and waffles together, but it would have been fun.
20120119
Plastic Bag + Tape == Less Cleanup
I saw this on Make or Craft a while back. Using a cup or plastic bag to catch sheet rock dust when drilling holes. In this case I was mounting curtains and surprised at just how much sheet rock dust four anchor screws can create.
Dark Honey Filtration
This mysteriously dark honey was delivered to us by a friend earlier this week. We love honey, but don't care for the comb to be mixed in with it. I used our crock pot + temperature controller to extract about 60% of the honey at a temperature of 118F. I was able to extract the remaining honey using a water bath temperature of 140F.
Today's Bread : Dark Honey Rye
Easy enough to make and plenty good. Inspired by a neighbor who gave us a mason jar of the darkest honey I've ever seen. We ate this bread with more dark honey spread on it.
ingredients
- 1 c rye flour
- 2 c white flour
- 1 c warm water
- 1 t salt
- 1 T dark honey
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 t yeast
directions
- mix honey with 1 warm water
- add yeast
- let sit for 20 minutes
- mix all ingredients including yeast/honey/water
- let rise for 1 hour @ 88F
- punch down
- let rise in baking pan for 1 hour @ 88F
- bake in sun oven 350F for 1 hour
Irrigation Repair
Mental Note. When passing a dumpster with solenoid valves hanging out of it after a significant freeze do not be the dumbass that brings them home and plugs them in. I lost two hours when I plumbed in a solenoid valve that was severely cracked. The new valve is in and working fine.
20120113
20120107
10lbs of Carrots
These were delivered to our home from a nearby farm today. 10lbs of carrots for $20. That is probably equivalent to the amount of carrots we managed to grow through the entire year.
Cast Iron Waffle Maker
Another yard sale find. I've been told that the cast iron waffle makers that sit on top of the stove are the best. I'm not sure about this model, but it looks like it will do the job.
Walk Across Elephant Butte Dam
The Dam has been closed to pedestrian traffic since 9/11. It was opened up today for the first time in over 10 years today. There was a excellent turn out with hundreds of friends and familiar faces.
20120106
Meet Dudley
Our new wood stove that we traded some tech works and audio cables for. We still need to score some stove pipe and cut a hole in our home.
Tom Kha Gai
I'm still recovering from a cold. Wendy tried to help by making a delicious tom kha gai soup.
20120105
Bok Choy
Sometimes I forgot what is growing the garden. Wendy reminded me that we had bok choy by putting it into tongiht's dinner - tom kha gai soup.
Got a Cold? Try Kimchi
I partied to a ridiculous degree on New Years Eve. My throat still hurts plus I'm coughing and sneezing almost non-stop. When I feel like I've come down with a cold I like to drink all the kombucha and eat all the kimchi we have on hand. We had plenty of kombucha so I've been chugging that. However, we are out of kimchi so I kicked off a 24 hour batch.
Plant Medicine
Wendy put some time into restocking our medicinals. She used the aeropress for creosote oil, stinging nettles tincture and ephedra tincture. She also processed some dry ephedra plant.
A Triage of Biofuel
The far containers (darkest) are waste oil in the form that I collect it from the local restaurants. The orange colored middle containers have been gravity settled and twice filtered. The closest yellow colored containers have been chemically processed to become biodiesel with the glycerin removed.
Re:seed
I seeded the garden with our winter favorites arugula, cilantro and kale. I did the same thing about six weeks ago, but we were immediately bombarded with ridiculously cold temperatures that stalled the growth of these greens. Now I've increased my efforts putting a many seeds in all of our raised beds and cold frames.
Romano Class
I spent a little time showing our neighbors how we make a romano cheese. This particular hard cheese has turned out to be our favorite. It's fun to use our own thermophilic culture that we have kept alive for over two years. I also enjoy seeing how long we can wait before we jump in and eat the cheese. Our record so far is six months. The goal is two years.
20120102
Annual HuDost Show in T or C
The blurb. . .
HuDost is living proof that the whole really is greater than the sum of its parts, pulling together musical styles as diverse as the jellies in Marco Polo’s kitchen cupboard, they weave a seamless tapestry that renders tears and laughter in listeners and cultivates that nameless longing that abides somewhere in all our hearts.
HuDost return to Truth or Consequences on
Sunday, January 08 at the Main Street Gallery 108 Main St.
By Donation
Occupying The What's Happening Board in Town
Sufi Silent Retreat
When the lips are closed,
then the heart begins to speak;
when the heart is silent,
then the soul blazes up,
bursting into flame,
and this illuminates the whole of life
The Sufi style of retreat is a process of turning away from the acculturated life and towards the ground of being, a vantage point from which we meet the part of ourselves that knows. In the Sufi view all knowledge can be obtained from within. Our acculturated life is not in the rhythm of the soul. The Sufi's say that the heart is the depth of the mind and deeper still is the soul. To experience these aspects of ourselves we must make a shift from our ordinary interest, view, pace, and priorities. The reward is understanding and peace.
Three Day Alchemical Sufi Retreat
Jan 6th, 7th, 8th (fri, sat, sun)
Mornings 8:30am to 10am
Evenings 7pm to 8pm
Write to me if you are interested.
A Super Time for Leeks
While much of the garden is sleepy, beige, dried out and lilted or frozen in place dormant, the leeks are still happily springing from the ground nearby carrot and parsnip tops that indicate treasures below. Tonight, risotto made with leeks, mushroom, home made romano cheese onion and organic chicken sausage. Oh la la.
20111231
Soak Naked and Wear a Silly Garment
Soaking buddies last night. We provided the ridiculous threads for the trip to and from the hot spring tub.
Coffee Roast - El Salvador Majahual
Meh...Not too impressed with this pound of coffee I roasted yesterday.
Ouch...Filled Up with Diesel
I forgot to fill up my Mercedes with diesel before the cold weather set in. This is a really issue for me because the car only had less than half a tank of B100 which has been a chunk of gel sitting in the fuel tank for the last two months. Today the temperature broke 60F so I was able to start the car and top off the stock tank with 10.5 gallons of biodiesel. Starting Chance should be a lot easier now.
More Magnet Ring Tricks
Magnet rings are useful for more than just detecting the presence and shape of a magnetic field. My four latest tricks are:
1. Pickup and carry USB drives
2. Pickup and carry car keys
3. After soldering thru-hole components the cut legs fly right onto the ring, not making a mess. This one makes me feel like a super hero.
4. Finally, fans are awesome. When I put my hand near a 40W Vornado the magnetic field is intense. I can feel the fan spinning from over 12" away.
Bread Recipe - Maple Rye
This maple rye bread has a lovely color and deliciously sweet taste.
1 c warm water
2 T maple syrup
2 t yeast
combine and wait for yeast to activate (foam)
1.5 c white flour
1.5 c rye flour
1 t salt
2 T olive oil
mix dry then combine with yeast and mix
let rise for one hour in bowl (hold at 88F)
let rise for one hour in cooking pan (hold at 88F)
cook at 350F for 50 minutes
20111230
A Reasonably Priced Sixth Sense
I've been enamored with body modifications that have utilitarian value. On my left forearm I have a 8" ruler tattoo which I frequently use to measure wire lengths and plumbing pipe diameter. In the web of my left hand I have a RFID tag which I've used on home door locks and for my fire trampoline. Now I'm wearing magnet rings so that I can feel magnetic fields. I've tried two different models of rings so far. The first was a metallic magicians ring purchased off e-bay for less than $5. The magnet was strong and the ring held up, but I didn't care for the look. A new friend from Seattle who turned me onto magnetic rings suggested I try a epoxy coated magnet ring. I prefer the look, feel and size of the black epoxy ring. I also like that it is not conductive in case I'm working with live wires. It is smooth to the touch and made from slightly more powerful rare earth magnets (N50).
What can I sense?
Obviously I can tell when I'm near a material with lots of iron. The ring regularly grabs door knobs, silver ware and knives. Cooking with cast iron has become a new challenge as the ring likes to snap against the metal potentially burning my fingers.
I feel cell phone calls in a new way. The speaker pulls the ring closer to the phone.
My favorite surprise sensation was stirring a cup of hot buttered rum during christmas dinner and noticing a pulsing in my ringed hand that was holding the mug. Each time the metal spoon made a trip around the mug I could sense it passing.
Finally, the most intense sensation I have felt is holding the electric cord on the tea kettle while heating up water. When the ring is within 1" of the cord I feel a strong vibration that is disturbing. It almost feels like being electrocuted minus the shock. 120V @ 10A feels bizarre. I've not experienced a larger load.
I have yet to place the ring near any spinning motors like fans.
20111228
Sweet Maria's
8lbs of unroasted coffee from around the world arrived today via Sweet Maria's. It took a while to arrive and only one pound of beans from India appears to be organic. We'll roast some up with our ridiculous popcorn roasting system and try to pick a favorite.
Any suggestions for places to buy green bean on-line?
Worms Reloaded
I transferred one of our compost tumblers over to the worm bin. We recently found some window screens by a dumpster which I covered the worms bins with.
Nearly 2lbs of Mozzarella
At least once a month I like to make this amount of mozzarella cheese. It lasts for almost 10 days in the fridge and provides us with endless dining options. This batch was made from 6 quarts of raw milk, 1.5 tsp of citric acid, 6 tbl salt and 1/4 tsp of rennet. It's a easy cheese to make that has become a staple in our household.
Next Kit is Getting Closer
I've ordered all the parts and am currently soldering a prototype board for my next kit. This device will charge, desulfate and stop charging a battery based on a user settable voltage. It can do a variety of voltages from 0-120V between @ 130mA - 500mA. More to come.
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